Simple Gestures
by FortunesRevolver
Summary: Sometimes, even the simplest of gestures can mean the most from someone you love... StahnxLion BoyxBoy Don't like it, don't read it.


**Simple Gestures**

**Theme Challenge: ** None

**Story Notes:** Romance/General (StahnxLion paring)

**Summary:** Sometimes, even the simplest of gestures can mean the most from someone you love

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**IronyxOfxFate:** Hello everyone! 8D This is a new entry for me My first "Tales of Destiny" fic EVER! I finally wrote one.

**Judas:** As much as you like the pairing, I'm surprised you haven't written more...

**IronyxOfxFate:** You and my both. I suppose it's not really the FIRST... I've started others, and just not finished them... Anyways, I got the idea for this when I was in the kitchen this morning, and I was all, _"Hm... I want something sweet.."_ and then the was bugging me and then I thought, _"Flan is sweet..."_ and after that Lion popped into my head and I was all, _"Lion likes Flan...Lion...Flan...I like StahnxLion..."_ and then somehow the idea for this story developed...

**Judas:** ...You have an interesting train of thought. I don't think I'll ever understand how your mind works.

**IronyxOfxFate**: Yes, yes I do and I doubt you will. -

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** !-- page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0in } { font-size: 10pt } { font-size: 10pt } --

"What the hell…?" Lion stood at the side of his bed, frowning slightly as he stared at the small, white box sitting on his pillow. His navy-violet eyes flickered over to the other bed in the room, frowning slightly when only a snore was his reply. Of course Stahn would be asleep by now, and there was no way he would have woken up if someone had come into the room anyway. _Idiot…_ Lion thought, annoyed, as he turned back to the bed. _The __**one**__ time I need your help, and you're knocked out…Useless._ His gaze returned to his pillow, and the frown on his face deepened as he stared at the white box, as if expecting it to explode or start making loud, obnoxious noises.

_**"Bocchan?"**_ Chaltier's voice pulled Lion from his thoughts. His head jerked sideways to look at the pillow sitting on the foot of his bed, on top of it, his ever-faithful weapon and friend, Chaltier lay speaking to him. _**"You've been glaring at that box on your pillow for a while now. Is something wrong?"**_

"…No." Lion finally muttered, turning away from the pillow. "It's nothing…sorry for waking you."

_**"I was already awake when you walked in, Bocchan."**_ _If Chal was awake…_ Lion mused silently, _Then…maybe…_

"Chal."

_**"Bocchan?"**_

"Did anyone come in the room?"

_**"Pardon?"**_

"Before I came in, did anyone else come into the room?"

_**"Only Stahn and Dymlos."**_ Chaltier said in a soft tone, sounding worried._**"Why? Is something missing? I'm sorry Bocchan, I was asleep when they first came in…"**_

"Don't apologize. I'm not upset… Is Dymlos awake?"

_**"…No, he fell asleep shortly after Stahn did, and I didn't fall asleep until after they did, in case you came in after they did…"**_

"I see… Well, thank you, Chal, you can go back to sleep now; I'll be getting in bed shortly myself. Sorry for disturbing you."

_**"Not at all, Bocchan!"**_ Chaltier protested, _**"I'm always happy to help you!"**_

Lion shook his head slowly, faintly amused at his swordian's sudden burst of energy before muttering, "Goodnight, Chal."

_**"Goodnight, Bocchan."**_

Walking over to the table on the far side of the room, Lion sat down silently, resting both elbows on the table as he folded his hands together in front of his mouth, staring at the box.

_ …It could be a prank… _Lion thought,_ Maybe Rutee put it in there before Stahn came up… After all, she went to bed before I brought Chaltier up… But I would have noticed it then… Maybe she waited for me to leave? But Chal would have still been awake and heard her…Then who…?_

It annoyed Lion to no end that he could not figure it out. If there was one thing that annoyed Lion, it was not being able to answer something presented to him. It would eat away at his mind until he had an answer, and he hated it to no end.

Over an hour had passed since Lion had been staring at the box, and finally a growl escaped his lips.

"This is stupid," he snapped at himself, "It's the middle of the night; even if it is a prank, no one will know I fell for it." Standing up, he walked swiftly over to the bed and grabbed the white box, staring at it a fixed glare. "…Just open it," he muttered to himself, grabbing the top and hesitating for a moment before ripping it open, ready to drop it at the slightest sign of movement.

Nothing happened. Lion blinked, and looked down at the contents of the box, his mouth falling open slightly in shock. Truffles. Simple, milk chocolate truffles from what he could tell. As if by reflex, he instantly reached into the box, and pulled one out, raising it to his mouth, before he paused again, looking at it suspiciously. _…It might be filled with ink or poison…_ The thought seemed to poke at him for a moment, before he shook his head, frowning, _If they were to poison someone, they'd go for the leader of the group, not me…Right?_ He stared blankly at the simple treat, before he shook his head, throwing caution to the winds, popping it in his mouth.

_It's sweet…_ Lion thought, chewing it slowly, a small smile on his face, _Sweet, and full of flavor… I'm surprised; I've never had one like this before…_ He popped another into his mouth, and soon another, and before he knew it, they were all gone. He set the empty box on the table, licking the remaining chocolate off his fingers, a content smile on his face. _I wonder who left them…_ He glanced in the box, looking for a card and only finding a simple piece of paper. Picking it up, he read over the words on the page, raising an eyebrow slowly.

"Only the first of many…?" _What the hell…? _Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought for later, and tossed the paper back into the box, setting about getting ready for bed.

As he slipped under the covers, he glanced at the box once more, yawning lightly as he wondered who left it there in the first place. Soon sleep took over and the thoughts were dismissed from his mind for the rest of the night.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

The chocolates continued to come each night before bed, and every time, Lion would ask Chaltier if he'd seen anyone come into the room, but the swordian never had an answer for him. With each passing day, the chocolates became more and more elaborate, increasing in quality and sweet flavor. By day eight he'd gotten various foreign chocolates, several types of cookies, and a few small cakes. As much as he liked getting the small treats, his curiosity of who was sending them would not die. While he hated to admit it, he needed help - though why he went to he person he did of all people, he didn't know.

_Why am I even here…?_ Lion thought to himself as he gave the wooden door in front of him several sharp raps, crossing his arms as he waited for an answer. The door opened, and an annoyed voice drifted out.

"Stahn! I've already told you, I don't know what-" The voice stopped abruptly as the owner realized it was, in fact, _not_ Stahn at the door. "Oh…Lion."

"Rutee," Lion greeted with a curt nod. "Could I talk to you?" The thief stared at him like he was some form of unknown alien, her mouth hanging open slightly, as if he'd just slapped her.

"…What?" was the only intelligent response she could come up with as she stared at the swordsman outside her door, the dumbfounded look still on her face. Lion's eyebrow twitched slightly as he shut his eyes in frustration, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment before he repeated himself.

"Can I _talk_ to you," he repeated slowly, holding back the urge to make a snide remark. "_Alone._ I need your help…" He paused, then added, "Please, onee-san."

If Rutee had looked shocked before, she looked completely and utterly thrown for a loop now. Her jaw dropped even further as her voice stuck in her throat, and words failed her. She mouthed wordlessly at Lion for several moments before simply nodding and stepping aside, allowing the younger of the two to enter the room. She glanced up and down the hall, as if expecting someone to pop-out and shout, 'April Fool!' But it was the eighth of February, and the thought was quickly eliminated from her mind as she pulled inside, shutting the door behind her.

"So…What's up…Ot…uh…Lion?" Rutee began hesitantly; obviously still thinking the whole thing was still a hoax.

"Otōto is fine, if you like," Lion said simply, sitting on the edge of the female's bed, crossing his arms and legs as he looked up at her, a blank look on his face.

"I…Oh…Is it?" her voice caught in her throat again as she struggled to come up with intelligent speech, but words failed her, and she settled for sitting next to Lion, looking at him curiously, waiting for him to explain why he came.

"…"

_**"…So…To what do we owe the pleasure, Lion?"**_ Both heads jerked downward toward the short sword sitting on the bed._**"It's very rare you ask for help, let alone talk to Rutee. You're normally very stubborn about fixing all your problems on your own."**_

_** "Don't talk to Bocchan like that, Atwight!"**_ Chaltier instantly protested against the female swordian. _**"He's only-"**_

__"Chal," Lion called sharply, silencing the swordian's protests. "It's alright. Atwight is correct in speaking. I normally _do_…However…" He paused, then smirked inwardly, throwing the curve ball that he knew would help get him what he wanted in a heartbeat. "Is it wrong for a little brother to request his sister's help once in a while?" Sure, he was throwing all his dignity out the window, but the desperation to know who was leaving him the treats every night was stronger then the urge to keep up his normal icy composure.

"I…Wh…" Rutee struggled for words again as she stared at Lion, as if seeing him in a totally new light. "No…It isn't." A gentle smile fell on her face as she looked at Lion, a new fondness in her eyes. "How can I help you?"

"Have you seen anyone sneaking into my room?" Rutee froze, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at Lion.

"I'm sorry? Someone is sneaking into your room? Why would…?"

"I don't know," Lion muttered, standing up, pacing back and forth in front of the other slowly. "That's why I came to you. I can't ask anyone else." Rutee opened her mouth to protest this fact, knowing that Lion could very well go to Chaltier, and if not the loyal swordian, then Stahn as he always did, but the thought of Lion coming to _her_ of all people kept her silent.

"Why do you think someone is sneaking into your room?" Rutee asked, trying to ease away the silence that had fallen between them, not knowing how long this 'new' Lion would last. "Was something taken?"

"No…Something was left."

"Left?" Rutee repeated sounding confused.

"Yes, _left,_" Lion said again, sounding slightly annoyed. "Someone has been leaving me chocolates every night this month."

"Chocolates?" Rutee's face paled slightly as she listened to Lion explain of all the chocolates that had been left to him for over a week now, taking care to keep her face as blank as possible.

When Lion finished, he turned to look at her, a slightly desperate look on his face.

"Do you have any idea who is doing this?" he asked, his desperateness could he heard in his voice, and it tugged at Rutee's chest, guilt welling up inside of her as she looked her brother right in the eye and lied to him.

"I'm…Sorry." She shook her head. "I have no idea…" she trailed off, then added, forcing a cheeky grin on her face, "Maybe it's a secret admirer! It's February after all, maybe someone is counting down the days until Valentine's to give you something big. Either way, it's free chocolates for you, right?"

"…" Lion eyed Rutee oddly, frowning slightly as he silently debated whether or not to believe her. _She has nothing to gain by lying to me, so why would she go through the trouble of doing it?_ He nodded slowly, letting out a soft sigh."I suppose you're right." He turned and walked towards the door, pausing with his hand on the knob, nibbling at his bottom lip. "…Thank you," he finally muttered, glancing over his shoulder for a moment. "That is…I mean for assisting me…I…Thanks…" He opened the door quickly and slipped out, leaving Rutee dumbfounded one more, staring at the door as if it had just grown a face and started talking to her. A sad smile fell upon her face as she allowed herself to fall backwards on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry for lying to you… But I promised him I'd keep quiet until the last day."

LINE

Lion paced back and fourth across the lobby of the inn the party was staying in that night, debating with himself on whether or not he should go upstairs. Tonight was the long awaited night. After receiving many chocolates, cakes, cookies and other various sweets (including flan on the twelfth day, which he silently admitted was one of his favorites among the small treasures), today was finally the 'big' day. Valentine's day. The day he'd been both looking forward to and dreading at the same time.

_**"Bocchan?"**_ Chaltier called up from his sheath softly. _**"It's getting rather late, shouldn't you head upstairs?"**_ Silence was his only answer as Lion turned around and began pacing again, staring intently at the floor in front of him. _**"Bocchan, if you're not going to head upstairs, can you please stop pacing at least? You're making me dizzy…"**_ Lion stopped abruptly, looking down at his sword, blinking several times.

"…Sorry," he said curtly, putting no emotion into the apology at all, but the swordian didn't mind. He knew of the situation, and the date, and couldn't blame his precious master for his odd behavior.

_** "Bocchan,"**_ Chaltier spoke up again, his voice more confident this time. _**"I don't think you should be worried. If anything today's gift might be bigger then the others. We don't know if the person is going to reveal themselves at all – after all, they've made a point of not getting caught until now. Maybe they'll stay hidden, and do it next year too. I can't say for sure – I wouldn't know; I'm not the chocolate-fiend – but I think you're worrying yourself too much. Let's just go upstairs and get ready for bed, alright?"**_ Lion sighed softly, nodding slowly. Chaltier was right: he was stressing far too much over something as simple as chocolate. He'd already been thrown for a loop the past fourteen days, and his normal character had been thrown out the window as his determination to catch whoever it was grew with each passing day,

"You're right, Chal, " he muttered as he walked towards the stairs. "Sorry for acting like this, I don't know what's gotten into me…" He reached the landing, and slowly made his way down the hall, towards the room he was once again sharing with Stahn. The room arrangements had been decided long ago; he was accustomed to sharing a room with the blond swordsman, and not even the window-rattling snores bothered him anymore (though every once in a while, they did keep him awake).

_**"Bocchan?"**_

"Hm?" Lion paused halfway down the hall, looking down at Chaltier in faint curiosity.

_**"…If you don't mind me asking…"**_ The swordian fell silent, and seemed to hesitate for a moment, debating over his question before asking. _**"If you could choose who was doing all this, who would you want it to be?"**_

"Marian," was Lion's automatic answer, but somehow, it seemed a reflex rather then a true statement, and the moment that he had said it, something in his stomach disagreed with him, sending a feeling of guilt shooting through his body.

_**"Marian?"**_ Chaltier repeated. _**"Are you sure about that? I thought she was just a mother to you. Besides, isn't she back at home in Seinegald?"**_

"I…" Lion's words died on his lips as he stared at the floor, his fists clenching as he bit his bottom lip, trying to withhold the emotions raging in his mind.

_**"…Bocchan,"**_ Chaltier's voice was soft, comforting. _**"I know who you really want it to be… I know I'm not the only one who's noticed it either…Atwight talked to me about it a few weeks ago, and Rutee came to me asking if it was true. I did not tell her anything – I am loyal to you and you alone, and I would never go behind your back…"**_

"Why are you saying all this?" Lion asked suddenly, his voice trembling slightly. "Chaltier, please don't talk about this – not today. Don't get my hopes up…Please, it's bad enough, having to face him everyday, lying to his face with every action I make, and every word I say. Lecture me tomorrow if you must, but please…Not today."

_**"…Bocchan."**_

_"What?"_ Lion's voice trembled more violently this time, and the beginning of hysteria could be heard in his tone.

_**"Let's just go to the room, alright? I'm sure everything will play out well in the end…"**_

"You're always far too optimistic…" Lion muttered, staring down the hall once more, reaching his destination shortly after.

He stood outside the door, staring at the wood silently; debating once more whether or not he should go inside. Did he really want to see if there was another gift today? Did he want to go inside and risk finding out who it was, and have the chance of being disappointed once more in his life? His eyes darted down the hall, glancing at the wooden door a few feet away that lead to the room where Rutee was staying, and for half a moment, he had the mind to run to it and burst inside, clinging to the only true human family he could turn to for comfort, but the thought was banished. He'd never depended on anyone (except Chaltier) in his life, and he wasn't about to start now. Gripping the doorknob tightly, he turned it, knowing Stahn would have left the door unlocked for him, and stepped inside.

It took him a few moments to adjust to the darkness of the room after being out in the bright hallway, but as soon as he could see properly, he shut the door behind him, eliminating all light but the soft pale moonlight coming in through the window. He shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he walked over to his bed, eyes still shut, easily navigating himself through the room, turning when Chaltier softly alerted him that he was about to crash into the end of the bed. Reaching his destination, he slowly moved his hand outwards, finding the mattress before he sat down, eyes still shut tightly. He let out the breath he'd been holding since he walked in slowly; turning towards the direction he assumed the pillow to be in, before he opened his eyes slowly.

Nothing was there. He blinked in confusion, looking around the room, as if expecting some large and oddly colored box to be placed elsewhere in the room, only to find nothing. He turned back to the pillow, and couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that filled him as he stared at the empty spot. He shook his head, scolding himself for even bothering to get his hopes up. What had he been hoping for anyway? He'd lived on his own, depending on himself and only himself, for sixteen years, so why now? Why would be want someone now? His vision blurred slightly as something in the corner of his eyes began to sting, and he wiped at his eyes furiously with his sleeves, biting his lip once more as he tried to control his emotions.

He lowered his arm and blinked once more as something new was held in front of him. A single red rose. Attached to it, a single white ribbon with a small chocolate hanging from it. _…A…Kiss?_ Lion thought, frowning slightly as he stared at the small chocolate.

"…This was on your pillow." Lion's head jerked up, a small glare falling on his face as he looked at Stahn. He blinked and glanced over at Stahn's bed. The covers didn't look like they had been touched at all, and it just occurred to him that he hadn't seen the blond in his bed when he had entered the room.

"You took it from my bed?!" Lion snapped, his tone slowly gathering anger with each word. "Why did you-!"

_**"Bocchan! Please don't shout at him!"**_ Chaltier interrupted. _**"I'm sorry for lying to you all this time, but I know who's been giving you the chocolates this whole time!"**_Lion froze, his eyes widening as he quickly drew Chaltier from his sheath, looking down at the blade, slightly horrified. Chaltier had _lied_ to him? In sixteen years of knowing him, not once had the swordian ever lied, nor hidden _anything_ from him. So why now did he…?

"Chal…?" Lion sounded hesitant and confused as he stared down at his sword, the shock of Chaltier's confession completely taking him by surprise. "You…All this time you…" he trailed off, unable to say anymore. He didn't have the willpower to shout at the swordian, nor could he muster up the strength to be upset. Instead, he just muttered softly, "…Who is it?"

_**"…I'm sorry, Bocchan… He asked me to stay silent…Begged me, rather, to not tell you anything about it until he could. I'm so sorry for hiding this from you and lying…Rutee knew as well, and she hated lying to you just as much as I did…"**_

__"Who is it?" Lion repeated, taking Chaltier's apology to heart, but not speaking on the subject now.

_**"…He's right in front of you, Bocchan…"**_

Lion's head jerked up once more, making the other occupant of the room wince slightly, worried that the younger might have gotten whiplash,

"…Stahn?" Lion muttered softly, his voice almost failing him as he stared at the blond, not daring to believe what he was seeing or hearing.

"You know, getting the chocolates was easy enough…" Stahn began quietly. "It was the flower I had trouble with. I really don't know anything about them, or how to take care of them, so I had to get Rutee's help. I didn't know your tastes in chocolate either; I had to guess on that, for the most part…" he paused, then added, "Chaltier did help quite a bit. It was he who told me of your secret love for sweets." Lion's eyes darted to Chaltier, and he could almost feel the swordian wincing under his gaze. "Don't be upset with him…" Stahn continued. "I was rather forceful when I asked him to help…"

_**"Gomen! Bocchan, I-"**_

"Forget it, Chal." Lion muttered, staring at Stahn silently, waiting for the blond to continue.

"I…Anyway, I talked to Rutee – I had no idea what to give you today… And she helped me a lot…" Sapphire eyes glanced down at the rose for a moment, before he gently took Lion's hand in his own, placing the rose in the younger boys palm, keeping his own gloved hand over Lion's. "Do you know that each color rose has a meaning?" Lion's first reaction was to nod, but his body once again didn't seem to want to work as he told it too, and he remained still and silent once more, waiting to Stahn to continue. "All the rose colors have different meanings, but after learning all of them, this one seemed to fit best." Stahn paused once more, taking a shaky breath before continuing. "You give it to someone you think is beautiful and perfect, someone who is courageous and strong…and above all else…" Another pause, and everyone in the room seemed to stop breathing. "…You give it to someone you love."

Stahn closed Lion's hand lightly over the stem of the rose, taking a step back as he flashed Lion not a full blown, dorky grin as usual, but a soft, almost hesitant smile.

"So…This is the final gift. The rose, and all the meanings that come with it… My final gift to you…is my heart, if you're willing to accept it, Lion."

Time seemed to stop completely as Lion's breath caught in his throat. He struggled to speak, but no words would come to him. _Dammit! Speak! Say something! Anything you idiot! Just SPEAK!_ He screamed at himself in his mind, but his voice refused to work, and dread filled him as Stahn turned away.

"…I'm sorry," the blond muttered. "I'll go. Garr knew what I was doing, and I told him I might end up coming to his room tonight, I'll just-" Stahn was cut off as Lion jumped to his feet, tossing the rose and Chaltier to the bed, as he tugged on Stahn's scarf, _hard_ forcing him to turn back around.

"Lion? Wh-ack!" Stahn let out a small cry of surprise as arms were thrown around his neck and he stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet as they both landed with a '_whump_' on Stahn's bed. Lion's arms still wrapped tightly around Stahn's neck, sprawled on top of the blonde's chest, his lips planted firmly against Stahn, silent tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.

It took Stahn several seconds to break out of the daze he was sent into, but as soon as it broke, his arms jerked upward, wrapping themselves tightly around Lion's waist, pulling him closer as he enthusiastically and passionately returned the kiss, breaking only a moment for needed air, before once again attaching himself to the young swordsman in his arms.

"You're crying," Stahn muttered as he pulled back again, running a gentle thumb under Lion's eyes, wiping away the tears, only to have more take their place. "I didn't upset you _that_ much, did I?"

"Idiot," Lion choked, dabbing at his own eyes with his sleeve, "I'm _happy_ idiot!" More tears fell as Lion smiled down at Stahn, the first smile of pure joy he could ever remember having. "You…You have no idea, how long I've wanted to…to…"

"…Lion." Stahn muttered softly. "I love you." Lion's eyes widened slightly as he stared down at Stahn, stunned. Sure he had already more or less said that with the rose, and not shoving him away when Lion rather forcibly kissed him, but to hear the

words sent a feeling through Lion that he never knew he could feel.

"Stahn..I…I love you too…" he muttered, more tears springing from his eyes as he leaned down, once more claiming the lips he'd longed to for so long.

In his lifetime, Lion had had many sweet things. Being of high-rank in the military, he had the money to afford the most expensive and exquisite chocolates the world had to offer, but none of those compared to the ones he had gotten over the past two weeks, and every single one of them were blown away by the final one he was given. He could go the rest of his life without having another sweet treat, and he couldn't care. No amount of money could ever compare to that one, because in Lion's mind, Stahn was the sweetest and most precious gift of anything he had ever received, and ever would receive, in his lifetime.


End file.
